Talkin' Cowboys: Minicamp Concerns

All right? We are updated, and it is Tuesday, June twelfth, two thy eighteen, and this is the day we've all been waiting for. It's the first day of Cowboys Mini Camp, one of the most important meetings in the world going on right now as we discuss what's going on with the Cowboys. I thought he was gonna say the return of Bill Joe. I was gonna say, this is your first show back in like twelve years. It is feel

feeling different than the first time you did. There are bright lights in here, yeah, but the lights are much brighter here at the Star than they were at the ranch, right making do you realize that three of the four here or on the original row now? And I was trying to remember when the original to the big table. That's right. I know you guys. Did you guys have him like at the kids card table at the Thanksgiving meal? Yeah? Adding there was the show Yeah, I remember the show guys. Yeah,

so was that two thousand and four? Yes, okay, two thousand and four. It was the old Cowboys channel which was on Comcast Cable watched you guys, which was so I knew That's what I knew. Rob was at the card table because I've told that story. There's no no I was. I was working at the team and then yeah, but we we I saw you what you're doing. Okay, you kept these guys in line. I tried. It was like an adult table and there was enough room for

everybody else. We're saying, okay, Thanksgiving you okay. The table sort of like this one, yeah, which was a TV studio table. And then Rob was And how old were you at the time there, Rob, I was right out of college three so he had just graduated from internship maybe yes, And I was still on it. You still on it? Yeah? And so you were like at a

school desk, one of those first grade desks exactly. You've seen Billy Madison, the movie that was me back in third grade and Rob was in charge of Slippy's class. Rob was in charge of emails, long before social media. I know we didn't have tweets back then, didn't we. You guys have got hammerd then if that was the face, right, and this is how old school that show was. Y'all had Tony Romo on as an in studio guest that oh fourth season, and he was just a backup quarterback,

just kind of spinning things. He was so glim then. Yeah, yeah, he wasn't would have thought that he would turn into the quarterback he was going to be and then be reserved in all of his interviews and then will and behold. He went back to two thousand and four when he got on CBS last fall and he was glib again. He was he was Was he in the backup that year or was there somebody else? And he was thir Henson. Henson was a backup, He was the he was the

third guy because Testaverdi. Yeah wow, So anyway, but enough about two thousand and four. It's good to have you back. That's great to be back. Yeah, it's great to be back. Looking forward to this and there's so much to get into By the way, Brian, I loved your I've got it written down here. Check it out on Dallas Cowboys dot com. The top ten surprises of the offseason. I'd

like to get into that a little bit. But how about we get into the news of the day to start things off as we get set for the Cowboys to hit the practice field for the first of three days of this mini camp course a mandatory mini caamp. Didn't they take basically six weeks off and start training. And I'm with you, Brian, I'm not into that. No, And I know we can get into it another time, but I just don't like the fact you're giving the players six weeks off and hey, some of them every

team does. Yeah, and just okay, give it to him and I wrote this and a good feeling last night. Give it to him on the on the front end. Let him have four weeks off, you know, after the season. Give them the other time early and then if you want to have these mini camps the OTAs at the very end a week or two before training camps start. I think that's just so much more productive in a way of helping your team potentially avoid those soft tissue injuries that seem to be the buzzword when we all

get to Oxnard. You can blame it on the NFLPA. Those were the things that they were, you know, trying to angle for when they came up with the new CBA, retaining the physical conditioning and even retaining the mental reps that, yeah, you are having structure for a period of time when you're going to give a bunch of young guys six weeks with how much basis nothing to do. Just hold your breath or see fireworks in Frisco. Okay, Zach Martin is about to become, if he hasn't already become, a

very very rich man. Yeah. Yes, My understanding was last night that the only thing that needed to be done was dot the eyes and crossed the teas, and they were quite hopeful that he would be out here, signed and take part in the mini camp. And a couple hours before that, whatever updates you got, which I'm sure it was very valid, they were just dealing with some language things, a couple of minor things. The structure of the deal sounded like it was pretty much in place.

So will we should be done? Highest paid guard in the league, and not only in the league, but in the history of the league. So that means right now the highest paid is sixty five million, so he's probably getting closer seven that's over five years, So then we're looking at probably six years over eighty million dollars. Yeahsion years. Quite an investment in your offensive one expensive o line. Yeah.

But the one thing about that we've learned is paying these offensive lineman has not been bad business for them. You know, there's some people that have paid positions. You can think about what's going on with the Giants with Olivier Vernon, and you know there's some people that have gotten paid and might have one year, maybe one and

a half, really good years. But the Cowboys have been pretty consistent about that offensive line and that's and that's been good business for them to say, Okay, Tyrn Smith, Travis Frederick gave Lyle Collins a little bump up in what he was doing. You know, try to add some

years to that. So, uh, having Zach Martin locked up for and you go through I mean, if you count the years, I'm terrible in math because I'm with school in Louisiana, But you know, it's like, you know, exactly think about twenty twenty two, twenty twenty three, twenty twenty four. They're keeping this offensive line. And what I've learned over the years this that offensive lineman. The older they get,

the better they get. You know, once you learn how to whole trip and clip, you know, you know, you become pretty You become pretty good. You can play into your thirties, thirty five years old, thirty six years old, and still be effective doing it. So not a bad way of going about it. If you're going to sign guy, and if you look at it just in a vacuum, just him, he might be the best player on your football team pound for pound. He doesn't miss games either.

And Travis Frederick's another guy. Lal Collins played through some stuff. Tyrn's the only one of the big contract guys that's that's missed some time. But overall it's a really durable group. So essentially you've got debating there. You've got locked up basically four first round picks because Lal Collins would have

been a first round pick. So you got four guys, and if Connor Williams comes through for you as a second you've made investment, yeah in that in that offensive line, and um, that kind of at least somewhat solidifies your offense that you're assured of number one, protecting your quarterback in number two, having a running game that you can rely on. Plus you feel better about it because of

the swing tackle situation right now. And that's the key thing with Connor Williams, right because if he earns that starting spot at guard, no one has to move. Lele Collins stays out there, Cameron Fleming becomes. The draft Guards threw him a break when they when Connor Williams was there because that there were still some questions and we talked about it a bunch. Hey, you know, he even said, I don't want to move. I really don't want to move. I want to stay where I'm at the right tackle.

I'm talking about Lyle Collins. And you know the fact that Connor Williams was there, a lot of people including myself, thought Connor Williams was going to get picked by the Saints at twenty nine. And the fact that he lasted all the way to fifty I think is the draft Guards threw him a huge gift there to solidify that offensive line even more. By the way, Lyle Collins number two on Brian brought us list of top ten offseason surprises. What he's done at right tackle him not bad, not bad.

He brought up an interesting point last week too, By the way, they got four guys and they're starting five. They can play left tackle if you need to. I mean, the diversatility is really amazing. Just crippled him last year though, Well, well they didn't have somebody that could play left tackle. They don't. They want to keep guys in and so yeah, you're relying on now, can Cameron Fleming be that guy? But three of those guys wind up playing left tackle,

then you got real problems on the offensive line. Yeah, that's true. If if if you're tune a position where Zach Martin's got to go out and play left tackle, then that means that things have really gone crazy. Yet you're right, You're absolutely right. I do think it speaks to just the talent level, because that means those guys were the best players on their lines in college, Zach Martin, Connor Williams. So yeah, they're amassing a lot of talent

for sure. All Right, David Irving on the premises, we hear I've heard that he is, Yes, Okay, so we'll see how that all plays out forget him anything or if you thought he was in New York? No, oh no, that's I got my defensive ends. Yeah, right, trouble you know, I'll love them all together. Right, what's the what? What's the if we crystal ball this? What's gonna be the end story for David? For Randy Randy David, it's gonna be Yeah, what's gonna be the in story for him? Though?

The story? The d story? What do we what do we What are we expecting? What do we think? What do we I mean? What do you think they're thinking? I think they're thinking that there's with his history and kind of what's been going on with his personal life, um that they're stin ice there. I just test away from they're very hopeful. I don't think they're worried about that part. I think they're worried about his personal life.

Not not for a drug standpoint. Remember whatever he tested posit for, it was a performance enhanced absolutely yeah, and supposedly taking a substance that he didn't realize was was not sanctioned. So from that point, I don't know they worry about it. But it's the other part of his family life that he's got to get in order and not let that get in the way of playing football.

And I think that's why they gave him this leeway during OTAs to say, hey, get it straight, get it taken care of the best you can, and then let's go play football. But it's not just that, right, it's also the football side getting in shape, getting in condition. And if he's here, I don't know what he would do at mini camp after not participating in the OTAs. He could be here avoid getting fined. He's trying to save himself eighty six Brown. So now the question is

six you mentioned six weeks still camp. What can he do basically on his own to get in shape. So you're not spending training camp getting in shape as a player, would you rather be out on the practice field or on the side with Britt Brown? Practice field? Practice field?

You get like five reps and then you go stand and while everybody else gets five and then the rest of it it's a hard or three days if Brown, Yeah, for sure he had all the reps with Britt You know you were, but you were you were hopeful that and again it was wasted three weeks for David Irby. If he gets his life in order, you know, with his family. That's really the most important thing. That's what

you really look forward to. But as far as his football life, he wasted three weeks, you know, he wasted time on the practice field. He you know, he hasn't played a full season since he's been here, and only eight games last year and last year, and he had the concussion at the end of the year, and there were questions about that. I mean not the questions if he had a concussion, but wow, when did it happen? You know, what was he doing? You know, all that

kind of stuff. But yeah, I think that for someone that is so talented, I've never seen so many questions about a player, you know, such an opportunity. Yeah, and you're thinking like okay, and everybody was like, going, well, you if you tender him that second round, he's gone. And I'm thinking, no, he's not, because football people are looking at him and going, when has he really ever done it? You know when I mean, when has he done it with any consistency? They could have done the

first round tender and they didn't. Yeah, I mean they saved themselves. Why some money, I think, And that's again, you you're saving yourself. But that just shows you if they weren't willing to commit the first round tender to him, that they have their own questions about him and I and I the long And that's why I ask you, guys, the questions what is his long term future here? Well,

m future here, but elsewhere around the league? To say how huge a year this is for him to prove that he can be a reliable player, whether he signs long term here or elsewhere. I mean, I got a lot of money riding on this. Well I would like to I would like to love the player and put my arms around him and say, yeah, let's give him

a contract, Let's extend him. You know, let's do what we did for h you know, for some of the players over your buried church, those guys, you know, you give them the Lord's give them an extension and they get some money and they're like, you know, it's a twelve million dollar deal, and you're like, you're feeling good about it. But they didn't even go that route. And I mean there was there was more I was. I was more surprised that they extended or gave Byron Jones

the extra year than I was with David Irving. That's just kind of feeling it and they're not gonna They're not gonna do anything with David. And that's the crazy thing about it is he'll tell you, like, I know I've done some things off the field, like in college and my history, like I know why I don't have a long term deal right now. So yeah, it's totally in his court to show it. And I loved your comparison Mick last week about leon Lett. Just so much

potential and a lot of it's untapped. Because standpoint, did leon Lett have off field problems? Well, he got suspended, Okay, I mean I wasn't Crevity team. That was after his on field problems at the Thanksgiving Day game. Yeah and that, but but he got suspended, and it seemed like every time he was ready to break through and become a

full time starter, he's got something happy got hurt. It was a knee, his shoulder, whatever, and then the suspension and he you know, because he got suspended in ninety six, the same time Michael was suspended the beginning of that season, which you know, thinks that year kind of started going downhill and then crashed in ninety seven. Uh So yeah. Um, you know, it's a shame. I don't you know what,

I'm not even sure. I think David Irvin wanted to be here, and I'd think if somebody had signed or tried to sign him to an offer sheet, I'm not sure that he would have signed it because I think he knew about that. Yeah, yeah, no be here. No, you're absolute, he felt. So they took they took a chance, but I think it was a calculated chance with that second round tender. And you mentioned or alluded to Randy Gregory, Yes,

I did, he tweeted on his Twitter. He tweeted a picture of an apple with there are three exclamation points last night, and very quickly the media jumped on that too and reported that he would be meeting with the commissioners. Yeah. I think he was the source for that. As soon as I saw an apple on his Twitter, I said, up, he's in New York. And you know that's that's the first step to petition to get reinstated. But it doesn't

mean you're getting reinstated. It's part of the process. Yeah, And it's like the first step because now you're presenting your case and they have the right for what forty five days, sixty days to examine this whole thing. And it's not just him saying Okay, I'm ready to play and they go okay, have at it. You know, they're gonna go through all the medical experts. They're gonna go through He's gonna have to show him paperwork on all

the tests that he's passed from a ur analysis. So it's it's a it's a long process before they say okay, uh or they say nah, you still need some treatment. So don't don't like make your plans that he's starting at right defensive end. It would be nice to see him. I mean, I think that's great. That's the only spot I think he could play. Yeah, you know, I mean we had a we had a male bad question this morning on Dallas Cowboys dot Com about that, And you know,

where where does he fit in? Is he? You know? I mean you can't really rely on Tapper. We've we've talked about Armstrong as being a draft pick that's kind of come in. Crawford's going to start at the right end, But where does Randy Gregory fit in? You know? And the one time when he was back in the practice, I mean, it looked like that you know, hey, this

Randy Gregory. You know, there's a guy that's a was a capable top ten pick and you're and a half, you're you know, yeah, and then now he's you know, but I don't know, there's there's It could be a really really good group of defensive lineman. But there's so many questions, you know, that would bother me going into going into you know, the offseason. Well, what the one month you have to get your breath that, like, Okay, did I do enough at this defensive end to help myself?

You got more questions there? I got more, Well, the whole defensive line, don't start on that. I'm sitting on a fishing boat thinking about those wider receives yesterday. I don't, I don't, I don't know. Where's your gut feeling well talking about the receivers? They were asking, you know, and I don't know what. I'm sorry, Mickey, I didn't see what your wide receivers? Did you? Yeah? Well, then Mickey and I went in the same route. I mean, what are you gonna look at? I'm trying to figure out,

not who's gonna make this team? Give me some give me some reason to say Okay, you're number one, you're number two, you're number three, you're number four. Give me some reason instead of saying, okay, wait, you're the seventh guy, and you're playing like the seventh guy, but you should be the fourth guy. You know, I just would like to see two or three guys step up to say, Okay, now I've got five guys that I feel decent about.

I feel decent about Beasley, I feel decent about h you know about Gallup, We'll see about Hearns, We'll see about Thompson, we'll see about you know. There's a lot of round Yeah, well there's a lot of we'll see abouts. And I wish, I wish five guys these next three days would kind of show up and say, all right, these are the guys that are battling. Instead of twelve guys battling for spots, give me five guys that I

could kind of feel good about it. Maybe one or two guys that could battle for a sixth spot if they carry that sixth receiver. And I you know, you mentioned twelve guys. Yeah, I could make a case for ten of them potentially having a chance to make the roster nine probably, and then It's like what you said, Okay, can I pick six? Am I gonna have to keep seven? Maybe? Because I don't know? Boy, that's the problem. And you

know what's Tavon Austin. You know. So my point on my deal was, Okay, Nami the top three right now? And and and I'll give you just because probably out of necessity, Hearns is one of them. Sure, But to Beasley to me, yeah, I agree on that. Now, who's the third guy? Well, I would say, Gallop? Are you including Terrence will Yeah, well he's got to be in the contention. No, And I mean that's what I'm saying

is is Williams. Is Gallop gonna be in the training camp as Beasley, as as Williams gets healthy, is Gallop going to show enough where they're gonna say, you know what, let's just throw him out there. Let's throw him out there and play. And you know they've done that before with some of these young guys. We saw it with the cornerback spot. Yeah, they said, you know what, let's move on, let's go ahead and see how these young

guys play and seek or swim with that. So I think there's some questions about you know, Williams and and really you know, overall, I mean I hate to say that, but because he's got the most experience. See that's that's why I'm like, oh, people would say, oh, it's part it's time part ways with him, because yeah, I mean, at least you leave, you take him away. And now it's Cole Beasley, a whole new set for Dak Prescott.

They're gonna give Noah Brown every opportunity. Also, and the interview that you did with Keith O'Quinn on the Blood, he mentioned his own mentioned Noah Brown as a special teams guy. When I heard that, I said, oh, there you go. And the other guy that has a special team edge is Deonte Thompson. Absolutely, and he's got that speed edge that you know we haven't seen. And that's true.

You know when when Keith told me go google him, Yeah, go google his touchdown returns and he went one hundred and eight yards against the Cowboys in preseason I think it was twenty thirteen, and then last year he went one hundred and nine and three quarters yards against Arizona. When they came up short on a sixty three yard field goal, he was almost out of bounds and he took it to the house. The one against the Cowboys took twelve seconds, twelve seconds, one hundred eight yards. They

ain't got speed like that on this team. No, that's true. What's the world record for a hundred Yeah, one hundred and eight yards? I don't know. That was in the mail the other day when Yeah, she was hauling the mail. Okay, it's been a while since I've been in this position. Do we take breaks or what? Yeah? We do at twenty twenty into the show, So where are we now? We're a little late nine. Yeah, like maybe now, so we want to do it now? Yeah? What am I

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need we need to hook you up. Okay, Tommy John, we have a new entry here on Talking Cowboys. All right, do you have a read to No, that's after that's that's the next one. Okay, next one. All right, and we are back in the s WBC Mortgage studio here at the Star in Frisco, Texas. I am Bill Jones returning to Talking Cowboys. And by the way, I am on Twitter. See this is the oh there it is right there on the screen. You go, CBS eleven Bill Jones. Yeah,

there will be occasional cowboy tweets on there. Or you can also keep track of South Lake Carol Sports and Oklahoma Footballers. Well champion baseball team all right, won a state championship. They were they were pretty darn good to watch the game. I watched the semifinal game and then the end of the championship game. Yeah, and then I saw him you either watch the semifinal game online, Well, you are a hardcore I uh. And then I saw them this guy in life whenever win the first game

against Flower Mountain Mark. That was your team, Flower Mountain Mark. Yeah, yeah, they were Uh did you go to the game? I did go to the game, I said in the stands and watched. All right, that's the best baseball You've seen a Globe Live parking several years. Well, no, because it was you know, here's the funny thing. It was six to nothing and the South Lake Carol Pitchers pitching a one hitter and the hit was an infield single, and I'm sitting there, going do I want to sit It

was the bottom of the six. It's like, do I want to sit here for three more innings because they're not gonna hit this quitter? And then seven inning game. It was seven innings. The top of the seven. I saw everybody get up. My god, I get to go. This is this is a strange seven it did he stretch. Everybody's leaving. Everybody's sure in the picture they're celebrating. Yeah, okay, so holdouts here and he holdouts here that we can think of. No, I mean everyone we've We've said, David Irving,

we're supposedly is on campus. There is a holdout in Seattle. Oh oh boy, Tae Pill's good at this? Isn't I didn't know where he was going and all of a sudden steering it right on the roads Thomas Podcast. You're hold out in Seattle until he gets his contract resolved, which brings us to this Cowboys secondary and more specifically

the safety position. You know what this is gonna sound crazy if you're willing to do two fifty in this draft, second second pick, you know, second round pick number fifty, You're willing to do it until Connor Williams showed up all from your second round pick. Again, let's get this done. Let's figure this out. If you you know, you obviously you got the hap space next year to do it. You know I think that, do you? Though? Yeah? You do?

What's seven million dollars? What's your quarterback making next year? Well, that's what I'm saying. I'm gonna I'm gonna watch your running back making the next year. You know what I'm gonna. I'm playing to try and win this thing. How much are you willing to pay him, because it's not about the second million dollars. That's right, Eric Berry making thirteen million dollars, I'm going I'll go over thirteen million dollars for him. I think this guy can play. I think

he can help you for three years. I think you can guarantee his contract, you can structure it in a way. I'm paying this guy. He's gonna help a young secondary. He's gonna give you leadership, he's gonna give you playmaking ability, he's going to create turnovers. I watched him. I watched him the other day part of my series of the Opponents, and I'm convinced that if if if Connor Williams was not there at fifty, that they would have made that trade.

I'm convinced to that. And so if you're willing to do that this draft, go ahead and do it again. Because he's not now. You can wait, you can wait him out. You know, you could wait him out next year and Seattle could hold on to him and you could try and sign him as a free agent. But I'm I'm gonna try and win right now. But that's

that's the crux of the matter. I think winning right now. Yeah, okay, And I think there's a school of thought out I'm gonna win with a young with a non paying quarterback and a non paying running But there's a school of thought out there that since you let Dez Bryant go, since Jason Witten's retired, that this team right now is not in a position too. It would be a shocker for them to go all the way and their rosters, their roster is just as good as Philadelphia. Why would

you give up a second round pick? Wow? Dallas roster, Yeah, it's just as good as Philadelphia's roster. Wow? Absolutely? Why would youive? Why would you give up a second round pick? Because I was willing to do. I'm going to get this thing done. I'm not gonna haggle anymore. I mean, they obviously said they didn't want my my third round pick. They didn't. I mean, you try to trade him sixty seven or whatever whatever that pick was, and they said no.

Do you think so? You don't have him over a barrel? Right now? There's third no whether they're gonna do just let him sit. No, they're gonna let him play because what's going to happen is players never put leave money on the table once they start the season. He is

not leaving ten million dollars on the table. How he's not going to do that on principle, How important is it if you were, if you were able to work out a deal, How important is it to get him here as early as possible where he's there at the start of training. Well, obviously, obviously he is. He knows Chris Rashard, he knows the system, he knows what's what's

going to be done. He's been through this. He's a veteran player, and not from his standpoint, but as far as his effect on the right, you're gonna get, You're gonna get his best three years is what you're gonna get, in my opinion. Are you sure absolutely? Twenty nine years old, I'm absolutely sure. And he's been hurt. I'm absolutely sure that Mickey and he didn't have as many interceptions as

Jeff Heath. I'll tell you what I'm not. I'm talking about a guy that's a true free safety in the National Football League, that gets to the football, can create eight turnovers. Is a leader you know in a young secondary, can teach guys how to play football, how to play the game. He could get the message of Chris Rostrado across go make this happen. Okay, let me ask you, without Earl Thomas, does this team have a shot at

contending for a Super Bowl? I think you asked that question earlier, and I'm kind of with I don't know about Philly's roster, but I think I don't think this franchise feels like they're in rebuild mode in any way, because I think the Connor Williams pick to me, they look at it and they say, all right, we got

our lineback stable. We're gonna run the ball, we're gonna play keep away, and we can win football games, just like we did for eight games last year before Zeke got The offense gets go and it helps the defense. We've talked about that one hundred different times in this they think they still got the formula. Yeah, So if that's all true about Earl Thomas, Yeah, then what's Seattle's problem with him? Seattle just doesn't want to pay him

thirteen million dollars. They're in a reboot because they just don't want He's not going to help him and all the same things you just said. You know what he they if Earl Thomas has to play in Seattle this year. He will help them, no question about it. But they just don't want to extend his contract. I'm willing to take it on for my team. You could be skeptical all you want, because that's the way you operate, right.

But I am. I'm to the point now where if I'm a head coach here and I'm realized I need to win football games, I'm getting as many quality players as I can here. I'm getting outstanding, elite type players in key positions. I don't know. I love it. No, No, you can help this defense. You put somebody you have. You have guys like you get. You get this defensive you get you get Laurence rushing well again. You get Sean Lee vander esh playing well. You get Jalen Smith

without a brace playing better. Now, think about putting Earl Thomas at safety. If you want to play Jeff Heath next to him down in the box, that's great. Do that. Absolutely, they feel really good in a young secondary. Yeah, still play defense? Sure? Yeah? Yeah, I mean, Cheeto, I think there's this We're just wasting time. So the free safety is going to make all the difference. Absolutely on this defense. He would on this defense, he would don't be skeptical,

dam get better players because it's too much money. It's not too much money. It's the it's mickey, this isn't nineteen sixty eight. We're not selling eighteen. We're not selling it. Yeah, you just paid you pay the guards fourteen fifteen million dollars. I can't spending money like that on a free safety, your quarterback, your court. Have you ever seen a season and and you said, you know, darn it if I

just had a if you were safety, yea, yeah. New Orleans their safety missed a frigging tackle right there there, safe room the entire season. You didn't lose eight games because you didn't have a good friend. They missed as free safety, missed a tackle in a game that costs New Orleans a chance to go to the NFC Championship game. Oh, I don't sha never play, Never tell me stay safety, Darren Woodson, he wasn't a free safety. He wasn't a

free safe. A free safety you could do other things. Yeah, he could play in the box and he couldn't play in the slot. Is did they have a true free safety here? Did they play with a true free safe? They never paid Darren Woodson fourteen They never paid a guard fourteen million dollars. Who did they have playing free safety when they should have paid They should have paid Larry Alan fourteen million dollars. They'd ever did that? Who was playing free safety? When they won Super Bowls? I

was in Green Bay worried about my safe. I was asking you. I also knew the fact that they had a pretty good front. Seven told you good. Darren Woodson was a great safety for you. Brock Marion was the free safe, and he was a liability and career. James was ability. Washington was a special team players, a free safety. He was a special Washington almost won the MVP. Yeah, Super Bowl absolutely, yeah, so, and he was a plan B pick up that this is a different era of football.

This is not nineteen sixty seven. Not selling insurance. No, we're not selling insurance on the side or car. To Mickey's point about Brock Marion playing free safety, well, how did those defenses compare with this defense outside of free safety? Yeah, ninety five they were pretty good defensively. Ninety three ninety two they were the number one defense in the league with James Washington at free safety and Thomas Everett at free safety. How did the offenses compare? Well, they had

a number one offense. I probably one of the probably one of the best coaches ever to coach, this coach in the National Football Harry Switzer in nineteen ninety. Yeah, I knew that was coming. Boomer. I'm just saying. I am just saying, though, to me, if I'm if I'm Jason Garrett, I am trying my best to get here stand in on a table saying we got yes, yes, And at the fact, if the fact that you have Chris Rashard here as his coach, I think I think says as all you need to know. I think that's all.

What they could do with Earl Thomas playing safety can go a long way, not just for this year but for coming years. To help this help this route. He could be. He could be better than a bridge to get guys better guys down the line. He helps They talk about denying the football to try to deny the routes. This guy helps you do that. The way he plays, he can help you do that. Do you think that's been the master plan all along this offseason? I think if Connor Williams was not on the board at fifty.

They would have taken a chance on Earl Thomas. Yes, I would have. I do believe that. I think that they they they they have an understanding of what they need. But it's the type of move to me that makes sense. And again I don't care about paying him because I'm paying a guard, I'm paying a tackle, and I'm paying order back. I paid a defensive end. But you know what, though, let the defense been, You're paying that defense been seven from all about one year? You got Road. They got

seventy million dollars in Cats. They don't have seventy million dollars? What do they have? What do they have? Can you tell me? Is this a conversation that's going on upstairs here where we've got Steven Jones here, Jerry Christmas Chard over here or Jason Garry? I think you know, And it's no disrespect to Mickey. I'm just trying to make this football team better and I and to this point in time, you know, I've I've struggled through having mediocre

players at key positions, and I don't want it. Anything on the Seattle topic. I think part of your point two is Seattle got through a couple of super Bowls

not paying a quarterback a lot of money. So there's there's a small window to try to take advantage of that before you got to make a huge decision on one hundred and fifty million bucks or whatever it might Well your window closes next year, Well then you might know what potentially guess what quarterbacks are gonna get paid yet, Ray Mike White, if that doesn't work out, if you if you know, all of a sudden, you're eight and eight because you had four defensive secondary play and you're

eight and eight, and then we could all talk about, Hey, so and so coach really likes this guy, so and so coach really likes They had the number eight defense last year with Byron Jones at free safety. Why didn't move Byron Jones the corner then? Because they think that he can play corner because he's bigger. Okay, well what did he do with safety to hurt the defense? They were the number eight team, they moved him to corner?

Yeah right, see, I love you, but I'm not I'm not gonna I am not going down the path of I'm not going down the path of just being mediocre to position when I have a chance, he says, it. It's a twenty four seven job. That player evaluation will do your job. Then if you have an opportunity to add an elite player, add the elite player. That's just me. Nineteen sixty eight, they had sold insurance. Two years ago. They sold insurance stuff like that. You know they did.

They work. Then three channels. Jones was pretty good. Good Bill Jones was on one of the channels. Now he had his antenna, had my cowboy. Those were good old days. Yeah, that's what I'm That's what I was talking about. The good old games were blacked out here and my dad had a cowboy's antenna. That was he Yeah, you didn't have the word blackout scared you didn't it? Games blacked out? This week? My gosh, what do you mean it's blacked out to you? How much do you realize how much

time we spent covering that part of it? Like every Thursday it was the game good out? Oh no, yeah, oh oh whoa Kroger just paid a lot of money to buy up when the when the when the team wasn't playing as well. It's like, you know, somebody's foundation just bought all the tickets. Yeah you know, yeah, okay, So uh no, Earl Thomas, Then how are we at safety here? Let Mickey tell you I think they're okay. I don't say I don't think they're great, but I'll go back to what I said. Please make that we're

better than okay, can't have everything. You can't pay fourteen million dollars for a free safety thirteen. Well it's gonna be fourteen because the guy that has the most is thirteen and he wants to be the highest paid. And I I can play poker with him. Why do I have to give in? Why do I have to give a second and fourteen times three get an elite play two million right to get an elite player? Chalism school? I just I'm not sure that I need to do that. Were you? Let me ask you? Why do I have

to do? Were you? Were you for the Charles Hailey deal? Does seattle? What do you mean that didn't cost him anything? No? No, no, let me ask you. Let me Were you for the Charles? Were you for Charles? It was was trading a pick? Okay? Were no money in public? Were you for it to get better? The team better? Well, didn't make it difference. They did it. There was no discussion. They called on a Saturday and by Monday we were doing the show. Would make me argue that Charles Hailey would not have

been a good trade. Yeah, probably probably why he was kind of a troublemaker. Yeah, because her yeah, or or the or the general manager's desk. Right, If I have to be implicit elsewhere in the secondary, how are things gonna shake out as far as who the starters are, who's getting reps? I think, pardon me for jumping in here, guys, I think that the one position needed to keep an

eye on is the nickel corner. Yeah, is because I think they're I think that they're committed to playing Byron Jones, Mickey's guy at right corner, who he said he's mail, He's gone, He's gonna fail that Mickey and Mickey's gone on record say he's gonna fail, but h on air on air, and then and then you got Cheeto playing the other The question is can Jordan Lewis convince Chris Richard in this defensive staff that he could play in

the in the slot. That's the question where this is going to be now and Anthy Brown, I personally think Jordan Lewis is a better player than Anthony Brown. And that's just I just if you said the draft would tell you that just was a third round pick. Well, you know, but Anthony Brown, his first year was outstaking. And here's my thing about that too, is we're talking

about size and frame. Is that matter so much in the slot because the type of receivers that you're having to cover inside, Like you've got to be maybe a little quicker, shiftier, smaller guys, Like do you have to have the six one corner to play in the slot? Like, I don't think he has to be typecast in that role, you know what I mean? Yeah, I don't that'll play out you want you want to, I think you'll play out in training camp. One of them is gonna rise

to the occasion. Yeah, because other one's gonna say, okay, let them let him. Nicky's plan Byram will fail. He'll move back to safety. They'll kick Lewis to the outside and Brown will play the slot ism I right about the bar the other way around on the outside, and October Art and Lewis in the slot. By the time we get to the off week, Mickey will have the secondary completely figured out. Okay, So we've taken care of the secondary and I believe it is time for another

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and T is a proud member of Cowboys Nation. Back to talk in Cowboys from Tommy John to Papa Johns. Don't you guys know that you can get any large one topping pizza now seven seventy seven, that's all it costs, seven seventy seven. I'm not sure what? Yeah? Seven up craft seven? Yeah, that's good. Well, maybe they're like in New Jersey and they're ready to get the gambling going

on starting events that seven seven seven. That means you get the best ingredients, the best vegetables, the best pepperoni, and with ingredients and pizza like that, seven seventy seven's a heck of a deal. Good Old Papa John's all right. So yes, a reminder Jason Garrett's press conference coming up at ten thirty five. Here ask questions today dot com and uh seriously, admonishment to the reporter. No, let's all,

let's ask better questions. We'll get a better answer. To be better, as Lebron said, yeah, there, you get better. I'm all right. I'm with all They sure it didn't listen to him, No, I'm with him. Be better. That's that's our job. Be better. A pole question Twitter Pole time. Yes, sir, we're just learning this stuff. He's alumnus. He keeps in touch the card table. Let's go to Rob Phillips's right,

that's right, back to the kindergarten table. Best Under the Radar. Addition, we talked about some big name players earlier in the show Under the Radar. New guy on this roster, I got four options for you. Okay, good? Coney Ely said he needs to lose a little weight. Yeah, hasn't. We haven't seen much of him. Cameron Fleming potential new backup swing tackle, super Bowl tackle, Cam Kelly undrafted dB Marri's

your earl. Thomas moved him back to Yeah, moved him back to Snicky just looked at him in disgust or with David Irving missing OTAs we saw more of Jahad War? Yeah, which of those four you guys like to make a contribution the most of this year? Potentially? You voted, Nicky. I can't remember how I voted. You voted? Would I

would vote? I would yea. It's a lot of people saying about the president, you know, I was remember I remember I believe I went with dort number four, ja god Ward other way to watch practice, Mickey, you know what you're doing. Potential undertackle for this team. M Christopher Shard would be a good addition to that. Yeah, that's another one. Yeah, he's not really under the radar man everybody's talking about. Okay, Well, if it was me, I'm really happy. And for once, I agree with Mickey. It's

not often it happens twice. That's wide receiver. Yeah, that's right, that's true. He's he's he got me on that one too. I'm I'm with Mickey on this one. I think jahad Ward. I know it's T shirts and helmets and I know it's but he's given guys. He's given Frederick a little problem. He's been given Connor Williams a little problem. Okay, he's gonna give Chaz Green problems, and he's gonna give Marcus market Martin a little problem. But he has been the

one guy that's been really active. And if you could give me an active guy that's a little bit disruptive that guys are. You know when he gets back to the quarterback and he stops you know, you know, Prescott goes through. I mean, he stays off the quarterback. But there's a lot of times when you watch him, he's near the quarterback and I'm okay with that, Mary Nelly. Putting him at defensive tackle instead of defensive end might

very well be a steal for this team. And just personally meeting him, yes, or last week up two pounds, Yeah, big powerful frame. He's an impressive looking guy. And he has a round draft pick. Yeah. Yeah. The Raiders again, always look at teams if we were in a pro if we were in a pro staff together, I'd say, guys, let's follow the teams that have new coaches, because new coaches, like Mickey will get rid of players. They'll just get

or they have a scheme team scheme change. Yeah. And I just threw you in the Miami I mean they were playing a three four Yeah, and that wasn't what he was at ill No. No, And I'll tell you what you watched me in Illinois though, he was a pretty impressive. And then Marion Elli tells a great story about putting him inside at tackle and now he goes from being a tick slow to being a guy. It's got some got some abilities, so he would be my guy. He had to rank him, how would you rank him?

How did you do, Bill, I'll go with johad Ward on that too. Yeah. I mean the others don't do much for me. I haven't kill And the winner was jod Ward fifty one percent, followed by Cony, so we do not have to see our runoff. He hit the majority. Yeah, ask you this, Okay, when we see Coney Eally, Mickey, are we gonna see and everybody can chime in here, but when we see Coney Eally back to his playing weight, a good playing weight, are we gonna be just as

impressed at Coney Eely? Because I think Cony Eally is just as a talented guy. And they and obviously they did too when he was coming out of Missouri. We our draft magazine. Once he drops his weight, yeah, and he said that's important. He's got to get down to, you know, go back because after the shoulder surgery, we'll see it in training camp when the pads come on about ten pounds away. Yeah. I mean he's he's he's pretty good. Cody Journeyman. Aspect of Cony Ely's career here,

the last year troubles me. Well, whoa that? You know what? That's not that's not and that's not a bad point. That's when he got to the Jets. They were they were playing him as three four defensive stand up Yeah right, New England too, Yeah, New England, and so that's not what he was. Hybrid, but New England brings guys in and they're just looking at him. And then there, I mean he was. He was basically a play away from being the MVP of the Super Bowl. Carolina I had won.

I just I watched. I went back and watched Carolina tape, and what they did was they kicked him inside stuff on some nickel and he was able to do that. And they love flexibility. It drives as crazy. Initially I was all excited about flexibility and then and then I got now I'm war down about flexibility because it's like flexibility you could play four eight games of the spot

and then they move you somewhere else. But I think with coney Eally, when he gets out there a training camp OX started, when we're all kind of watching practice together, I think I was feeling Bill is going to go, hey, do you see what Coney Ealey just did? You know? I think we're gonna see that, and maybe that's what we're seeing with jahad Ward in T shirts and helmets that we'll see with Cony eally on a regular basis

when they get in some paths. Okay, of the draft picks, as we kind of look forward to training camp in the preseason, which of the draft picks maybe under their Okay, we're all going to keep an eye on the first round pick Banderash, which of the other guys will who might be the star of the preseason out of the other guys in the draft picks. I'm gonna say this, I'm looking he was selected late, and I don't think it was an afterthought, and I'm surprised he went late.

But Cedric Wilson might be now he didn't practice this last week, you know, and I'm like, oh, please, don't be that guy, because I need him to be healthy throughout because I want him to make a run. I want him to be like you know how it is, receivers. We've been enough training camps where you're watching those receivers. They run so much and by the end of it, they're just wore down and they can't practice and they don't look good, and they know the rookie wall and

all that. But I want to see Cedric Wilson because I think there's talent there. I think that he got I think he got underdrafted where his position was. I kind of felt like he was more like a fourth round guy for them to grab him in the sixth. Just need him to stay and need those legs to keep being fresh, needing to be out there catching balls,

doing whatever he can to make this team. But I'm kind of with all the muddled wide receiver spot, kind of thinking about maybe that might be a guy that kind of jumps in there with some of his play, and I think he's probably got the nature to play special teams too. Right, we mentioned Noah Brown, you had brought him up. That's one of the reasons why he made it last year. I mean, he was a seven round pick. I'm still not sold on him as a

wide receiver. That's fair. And it wasn't just Cedric Wilson too. Deontay Thompson missed last week also, so both you know, the wide receivers are starting to show the wear and tear of the right of these otash. I don't know if this is under the radar or whatever, but I just think Michael Gallup is going to make a huge impression on this team before it's all said and done. You can see it on the field. You can see

the talent, explosive guy. I'm with you there. I want to see if Dalton Schultz can challenge these other two tight ends, though, because Jeff Swain is solid, I think they feel good about him as a VET, a young vet. Blake jarn was really shown up too. Yeah, and but I think they really like Schultz's potential as an all around guy. I think They've got some young athleticism at the tight end spot, including Schultz as a big twelve guy.

Bill Armstrong do anything for you, you you know. I mean I didn't notice him because he played for Kansas, right, you'd usually it had the time it's over. But leading up to the draft, and especially after the Cowboys drafted him and then going back and looking at him, I mean the Oklahoma tackle he beat him a couple of times for sacks Brown Orlando Brown, right, Connor Williams and gave us success against against him. So he flashed and you know, see, that's if they could. There's a lot

of questions about the defensive end position. We named a bunch of guys kid is Is Doran and they and they thought a lot about him. I mean, they're talking about trading up. We were thinking, oh, they're trading up for the safety to various more. You know, when we were doing the draft coverage, I was like, they're trying to get back in this draft. They're trying to get more. They want to get the safety here. But they were trading up for They're trying to get it back in

for Armstrong. And so that kind of tells you a lot of what they thought about Armstrong as a player. And I know it kind of bothers me a little bit. I didn't talk about him, but I just look, I'm looking at I'm just looking at with the situation of the wide receiver and thinking that Cedric Wilson might be one of those guys when you keep an eye on. Here's another guy to keep an eye on. Bo Scarborough seventh round draft pick running back. How in the world

he lasted all the way to the seventh round. The reason I say that, I was listening to Sirius NFL radio and Phil Savage was on there last week. Phil Savage does Alabama radio. Yeah, Alama Radio. So he's watched him throughout his career and he mentioned Bo Scarborough could not believe because he says he's a second or third round talent and slipped all the way to the seventh round. He didn't go into details on why he thought he

may have done that. Obviously Downhill doesn't have special teams value. There's that day. But see that's where if you talk to Keith O'Quinn, like, and I know, Mickey, I'm sorry I didn't see your Keith O'Quinn interview, but you know if i've heard some whispers that o'quinn's like some people have asked O'Quinn about him as a special teams guy. And in the first practice ever watch in the rookie orientation, they had him playing as the right wing on the

punt team. So it's thinking like I'm thinking, like, oh, okay, O'Quinn as least has an idea. As you can see the clips right there, A great job by our staff getting you you know, that's him right there. That's how you block play in the wing. So yeah, they're they're trying to find there's got to be a mental adjustment for him, yeacause in his mindset at Alabama, he is you know, Alabama, look at the great history of the

backs that they've had there. They've had Heisman Trophy winning backs and they've come in the league and some have had some great success, and then you've had guys like Richardson that was just god awful. Well he had to split time at running back there and he wasn't a big receiving guy. He was in your face, smash mouth, downhill running back. So can he Yeah? Can he come here?

And here's what Savage said. Savage says, if if Zeke goes down or whatever, for any this is a guy that can, he'll He'll have one hundred yard rushing game for you. He's a guy obviously. I think preseason will tell a lot. He's gone. He's gonna have some challenges. Yeah, you know Trey Williams, here's a different type back, not that big guy they could play. Kept him around, and they brought back Darius Jackson, who they really liked. Yeah, so he better make sure he's ready to go if

he's gonna make this fifty three man roster. How many receivers are you keeping? And do you count Tavon Austin eventually as a running back to work the numbers? You know, So there's a lot of things to figure out. House to me, like they lean more towards him as a receiver from now. Yes, although I think he's a guy you're gonna maybe seeing a bunch of different meeting rooms, and he's just kind of like there'll be a challenge. He's just a player. I don't think you make him

a wide receiver. I don't think you make them a running back. I think he's not just a special teams guy. He's a player. He's TV Scotland. They said they will put the ball in his hands. Believe me, we are five minutes away from a Jason Garrett Preston already is talking billbo and co is a callow four. Yeah, you have a chance to get better, don't we guess we will next six weeks. This has been a production of Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.